Chevy, GMC to keep profit machines humming

July 23, 2018 01:00 AM

The Chevrolet Camaro has been freshened for 2019.

For Chevrolet and GMC, the next two years will be about one thing: profit.

Beginning with the launches of the next-generation full-size pickups in the fall, the two brands are about to feed General Motors' principal profit centers, pickups and SUVs.

The Silverado and Sierra will be followed next year by their heavy-duty counterparts and then the next-generation full-size SUVs, a segment GM rules. Successful launches of these vehicles mean higher profits, while flaws or extended downtime could have a ripple effect on both brands' plans overall.

Spark: The 2019 minicar will arrive in dealerships in late summer with a freshened exterior and additional active safety technology, including optional low-speed automatic braking. A redesign of the car into a crossover is expected as early as 2021.

Sonic: Sales have plunged since the arrival of the Trax, a crossover built on the same platform. The car is expected to end production as early as this year to make way at the Orion Township, Mich., plant for Bolt EV production and other potential variants of the all-electric vehicle.

Cruze: Despite a 26 percent sales decline in the first half of 2018 and GM's decision to cut two of its three production shifts, the Cruze was freshened for the 2019 model year. It is expected to go on sale in the fall with several convenience and cosmetic updates, including a more prominent grille. A redesign is expected in 2022.

Malibu: GM is freshening the midsize sedan for the 2019 model year as sales sag. When it arrives in dealerships in the fall, it will include a redesigned front fascia with a more prominent grille and a new RS trim. A re-engineering and possible redesign are expected in 2021.

Impala: Aside from minor packaging and trim changes, the Impala has been stagnant amid declining sales of large sedans. The Impala remains on GM's Epsilon II architecture with the Cadillac XTS, which was refreshed for the 2018 model year but isn't expected to last long into the next decade. The Impala is expected to end along with it, if not before.

Bolt EV: GM's first all-electric vehicle for the mass market is more important to the company for its self-driving ride-hailing fleets — expected to launch next year — than it is for consumers at this point. Sales were up 3.5 percent in the first half but fell 23 percent in the second quarter. Don't expect too many changes to the Bolt EV aside from a possible freshening late next year before it moves to GM's new EV platform, likely in 2022. Expect a Bolt-based crossover coming to Chevy, not Buick, in 2020 if not before.

2019 Chevrolet Silverado

Volt: Reports that GM would pull the plug on its plug-in hybrid may have been premature. The car is expected to remain primarily as it is following a re-engineering due in showrooms this year until a redesign and/or repositioning of the car into a crossover in the early 2020s.

Camaro: Despite hyped performance models, the Camaro has failed to gain traction in the last two years. Sales declined 6.6 percent last year, followed by a 31 percent spiral for the first half of 2018. Chevy is expanding the availability of its popular 1LE track package and 10-speed transmission as part of a freshening for the 2019 model year. Expect a redesign as early as 2021.

Corvette: The sports car could receive minor updates in 2019. That would be in conjunction with a long-awaited midengine version for the 2020 model year. Spy photos have shown a lower hood line, longer rear deck and much shorter dash-to-axle ratio than the current C7 Corvette.

Trax: Sales of the subcompact crossover rose 27 percent in the first half of 2018. Expect a redesign around 2020.

GMC subcompact crossover: There aren't too many places left for GMC to expand, and brand head Duncan Aldred has said he believes a subcompact crossover would fit well in the lineup. Expect it as early as 2020.

Equinox/Terrain: Redesigning the compact crossovers for the 2018 model year has resulted in double-digit sales increases in 2018. Expect a freshening in the early 2020s, including a plug-in hybrid version of the Equinox and possibly the Terrain.

Compact crossover EV: A Chevy compact crossover EV, similar in size to the Equinox, is expected as early as 2021.

The 2019 Blazer, resurrected from an SUV to a crossover

Blazer: Production of the midsize crossover — slotted between the Equinox and Traverse — is expected to begin in December, with vehicles arriving in numbers early next year. The resurrected SUV-turned-crossover has been designed to complement recent vehicle updates in Chevrolet's lineup but with a more aggressive, sculpted look. Powering the front-wheel-drive Blazer will be a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 193 hp and 188 pound-feet of torque. A 3.6-liter V-6 engine also is available, offering 305 hp and 269 pound-feet of torque. Both direct-injection engines feature stop-start technology and are paired to a nine-speed transmission. A hybrid or plug-in hybrid variant is expected after 2022.

Acadia: The Acadia shrunk in 2016, creating some separation from the Traverse and Buick Enclave, but it became quickly outdated once those vehicles were redesigned months after it. Hence, the quick freshening, and potential re-engineering expected late next year, followed by a redesign in 2022.

Traverse: A weight reduction, tech upgrade and more trucklike appearance for the 2018 model year have paid off for the large crossover. Sales are up 30 percent in 2018. Expect a freshening in 2021, followed by a plug-in variant after 2022.

Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon/Yukon XL: GM's full-size SUVs got some styling and trim enhancements a year ago, as well as a 10-speed transmission. They'll be redesigned in 2020 as GM works to maintain its dominance over Ford following a well-received redesign of Ford's Expedition and the upcoming resurrection of the Bronco SUV.

Hybrid variants of the vehicles are expected as early as 2022.

The 2019 GMC Sierra Denali will be one of the larger and lighter pickups arriving this fall.

Colorado/Canyon: GM gave its midsize pickups a new engine and eight-speed transmission two years ago, and it launched the Colorado ZR2 for heavy-duty off-roading last year.

More styling and technology updates are expected next year to fend off a resurrected Ford Ranger, followed by redesigns, including fuel cell variants, in 2022.

Silverado/Sierra 1500: The full-size pickups will be larger and lighter when they arrive in vehicle showrooms this fall to go up against a redesigned Ram 1500 and the segment-leading aluminum-body Ford F-150. Initial fuel economy gains for the trucks were unimpressive with a new Dynamic Fuel Management system for the V-8 models, but estimates for a new diesel and four-cylinder offering haven't been released.

Chevrolet's Silverado HD is expected to arrive in mid- to late 2019.

Silverado/Sierra 2500HD/3500HD: GM's heavy-duty pickups are on tap for a redesign about a year after their light-duty brethren. They're expected to arrive in mid- to late 2019.

Express/Savana: Will they ever be redesigned? Expectations are not anytime soon. GM seems content to let the 15-year-old vans — whose development costs were fully amortized long ago — quietly age rather than invest the big bucks necessary for a new generation to compete against Ford's segment-dominating Transit series.